“Anti-Tesla” language was added to a state House bill at
the request of car dealers that explicitly requires consumers to
buy vehicles through franchise dealerships, Tesla said yesterday
in a statement. Missouri’s Senate passed the bill this week with
no public comment or debate, said the carmaker that’s led by
Elon Musk.

“Musk is trying to make Tesla a completely viable
automaker, and to do that he wants a presence in as many states
as possible,” said Karl Brauer, industry analyst for Kelley
Blue Book, an automotive pricing and data company in Irvine,
California. “Missouri’s potential isn’t so significant as a
market, but as a part of that push.”

The challenge in Missouri comes as Tesla appeals New
Jersey’s March decision to ban direct auto sales by
manufacturers and the company works to keep selling Model S
sedans at its Massachusetts stores. While Texas and Arizona also
bar direct sales of Teslas, the Palo Alto, California-based
company worked out arrangements in Ohio and New York this year
to keep selling in those states.

“This extraordinary maneuver amounts to a sneak attack to
thwart due process and hurt consumer freedom in Missouri,”
Tesla said. The company’s only store in the state is in
University City, near St. Louis, where it also operates a
service center.

Sales Restrictions

In states that imposed sales restrictions, Tesla converted
its stores to “galleries” that only display the Model S,
priced from about $71,000, and give general information on
electric cars. The restrictions haven’t prevented it from
operating service centers to maintain customers’ vehicles.

Missouri Representative Glen Kolkmeyer, who sponsored the
bill, didn’t respond to a call and e-mail on the matter.

The potential sales restriction came as Tesla had its
biggest decline in six months.

Tesla rose 2.1 percent to $182.26 at the close in New York
and has gained 21 percent this year. The shares had tumbled 11
percent yesterday after the company reported first-quarter Model
S deliveries that were below the highest analyst estimate and
said tight battery supplies would also constrain second-quarter
sales.